Crew SC | Three things to watch in Colorado Rapids game

Saturday

If there’s a common theme heading into Saturday night’s game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park outside of Denver, it’s that both Crew SC and the Colorado Rapids both are in desperate need of points.

Sure, one team needs it more than the other, given the Rapids just won their first game last week. But the excitement around the Crew that carried over into the early part of the season from the Save The Crew movement has faded.

The team has said it doesn’t care about the outside noise and is focused on improving inside its training facility in Obetz. Still, there’s little doubt about the pressure the team is shouldering.

"The message has been the same every week. We continue to move on. We look forward,” defender Josh Williams said. “We got a bunch of mentally tough guys that are ready to go to battle again."

Here are three things to watch when the Crew takes on the Rapids.

1) Impact of returning players

In a 1-0 loss last week to Minnesota United, the Crew was without star goalkeeper Zack Steffen, starting left back Waylon Francis and starting midfielder Pedro Santos. The club is expected to have Santos back, but Steffen and Francis remain questionable.

Francis is recovering from a soft-tissue injury in his quad, and Steffen sat out because of a concussion after missing the previous game because of a foot injury.

>> Read more: Crew feels urgency in game vs. Rapids

Getting Santos back at right wing in the attacking midfield gives coach Caleb Porter the “pocket winger” he needs in his offense to continue the attack closer to goal.

"Sometimes you don't realize how much you miss a guy until he's out, you know?” Porter said. “I've been pretty clear that I like Pedro.”

Without Santos, Porter played David Accam and Robinho at the left and right midfielder spots last game. Both like to run in behind the lines, whereas Santos can possess the ball in pockets between the defensive midfield and the backline defenders and distribute from there.

If Steffen returns, it adds not just the best goalkeeper in Major League Soccer but a player skilled in directing the offensive buildup from the back. If Francis misses another game, the Crew will have to find a way to get the outside backs involved in the offense without its normal two starters.

2) Being patient, but aggressive

When the Crew was in the final moments around the box in the attack last week, it wasn’t just the final pass or unnecessary touches on the ball that doomed multiple scoring chances.

There were moments the Crew tried to fit a pass through a tight window to get the scoring chance, instead of working the buildup or cycling the ball around the box to get a better opportunity on net.

Crew midfielder and captain Wil Trapp said after the game that the team was too impatient. What he meant was when the Crew had some time on the attack, it tried to force the issue. Then at other times, the Crew was also not forcing the issue enough.

“We have to find the balance of quality in those moments, but also realizing, OK, we can breathe a little bit on the ball now,” Trapp said. “Especially in that game, I felt we had enough time and space once we did get past their front pressure to do so."

It’s a delicate balance, but one Porter emphasized much of the week in training. He said the team trained three ways to primarily score on the attack, which starts with the buildup.

“We got to figure out a solution on how we can create more chances and score more goals, bottom line,” Porter said.

3) Accam and Santos

Like most MLS coaches, Porter would never disclose the starting lineup before a game. That being said, midfielders David Guzman and Accam were acquired for a reason.

With Santos back, Accam getting his first start last week and fitting the vision Porter has for the position, this could be the first game to get a good look at how much the attacking midfield has changed with Accam opposite Santos.

Robinho is more of the type of winger that Porter likes. He’s able to run behind players or take them one-on-one. But the first-year Brazilian hasn’t shown a ton of quality as of late in those final moments, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Santos paired with Accam.

When the Crew played with Santos and Justin Meram before he was traded to Atlanta, the attack was too narrow. Then with Accam and Robinho, two players that aren’t the pocket-type wingers that Porter likes, the attack was too wide.

With Accam and Santos, it’s the balance Porter has been looking for.

“I think you start to see when you're too narrow, doesn't work as well as you want,” Porter said. “If you're too wide, it doesn't always work as well as you want,” Porter said. “That's part of why I've always liked (having a true winger and a pocket winger).”

jmyers@dispatch.com

@Jacob_Myers_25

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